The discovery was made by retired biologist Edwin DeMont. He picked up the bats using a device that can record the ultrasonic frequencies that bats use to vocalize. DeMont tweeted about the discovery on August 21, saying he was working to identify what species of bat he had found. Update on pic.twitter.com/fE8tugvmY8 —@ArchibaldLake He thinks it’s a little brown bat, one of three bat species considered endangered in Nova Scotia. “What we’re hoping is that the provincial government will designate and protect the Archibald Lake Wilderness Area, and we’re trying to continue to increase the number of rare species we find there,” DeMont said.
There is no timetable for a decision on Lake Archibald
DeMont works with the St. Mary’s River Association, a conservation group based in Sherbrooke, NS, working to protect Archibald Lake since 2019. The association is concerned that the Cochrane Hill gold project, a proposal to build an open pit gold mine in the area, could have negative impacts on local ecosystems. The former Liberal government Archibald Lake is being considered for protection in 2020. Current Environment Minister Tim Hallman told the CBC in July that no decision had been made on the designation of the area. The St. River Association Mary’s has been working to protect Archibald Lake since 2019. (Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society) Scott Beaver, president of the river association, said in a statement that his group met with local politicians to raise awareness about the importance of the wilderness area. He said the organization had not had much luck meeting with senior officials from the province.
Bat conservation in Atlantic Canada
Bat populations in Nova Scotia declined significantly in the early 2010s with the onset of white-nose syndrome. The fungal disease had wiped out around 95 per cent of the province’s bat population by 2013, according to the Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute. The institute is a major player in bat conservation in Nova Scotia. It works with the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewable Resources and the North American Bat Monitoring Program to research and monitor bat populations. Lori Phinney, the head of the institute’s bat program, said in a statement that bats are critical to Canadian ecosystems and agriculture because of pest control. “All bats native to Canada and Nova Scotia are insectivores, and a small brown bat can eat hundreds to thousands of insects in one night,” Phinney said. “Their global value as a natural form of pest control for agriculture and forestry is estimated at billions of dollars.” Lori Phinney, left, conducts bat research in one of Nova Scotia’s surviving bat colonies. (Submitted by Lori Phinney) Most bats can only have one baby a year. This is partly why bat populations are still struggling to recover. Phinney said there are about 15 known sites of little brown bat colonies in southwestern Nova Scotia. While this is nowhere near the amount a healthy population should have, the number of bats in these colonies has been increasing in recent years. “We hope this is a promising sign that there are more bats and also bats that can cope with the effects of white-nose syndrome,” Phinney said. Phinney encourages Nova Scotians to keep an eye out for bats and report any sightings. Reports can be made online at www.batconservation.ca.
